In the course of planning a wedding, many ideas will come along. Some are great, while others may turn out to be not as great as they initially appear to be. These are wedding ideas sure to go wrong!

Cash Bar. We all know that weddings get expensive fast, and the reception usually accounts for at least half of the total cost, if not more. What bride hasn’t crunched the numbers and noticed how much she could save by cutting the open (or even limited open) bar and reverting to a cash bar? How bad could it really be, the cash-strapped bride thinks. The guests won’t really mind paying for their own refreshments, will they? Oh yes, they will! One of the quickest ways to kill the mood at a wedding reception is by having a cash bar. It just plain makes people mad, and many of them will figure if they are going to pay for their own drinks anyhow, maybe they would rather leave after dinner and go to a club, rather than hanging around a wedding reception. The cash bar is definitely an idea sure to go wrong!

Fake Flowers. Many a diy bride has thought how much easier it would be if she could make all of the bouquets and centerpieces well in advance. Of course, this is not possible with fresh flowers, so she may decide to use fake flowers instead. How different could it really look, right? Very different! I can promise you that no one will be fooled by artificial flowers when they walk into a wedding expecting to see the real thing. A better idea is to stick with very simple designs when doing your own wedding flowers so that they can all be done the day before the wedding. Enlist a few pairs of helping hands, if need be, just don’t think that fake flowers will look just as good as the real ones.

Double Duty Bridesmaid Gifts. I know, thinks the bride, instead of buying a gift for each bridesmaid, I will give them their dresses or their hotel rooms. Good idea, right? Well, no. A gift that it is only for your wedding is not a genuine gift from the heart at all. If you wish to pay for the bridesmaid dresses, that is a wonderful thing to do, but you should still give your bridesmaids gifts which are truly for them. That is why most bridesmaid gifts are items such as beautiful jewelry or personalized silver trinkets. The best gifts are elegant and have lasting value. No matter how gorgeous you think the bridesmaid dresses are, the chances are that your attendants will not consider them to be fantastic gifts that they will enjoy for years after your wedding!

Using a Non-professional Photographer. Every bride has an uncle who takes the best family photos or the friend with an artistic eye. In no way, shape, or form does that qualify them to take the pictures for the most important event of your life! A professional photographer knows all the important shots to capture, how to get the best candids, how to work with the available lighting and so on. Unlike your uncle or friend, the photographer is not also a guest, meaning that he won’t be chatting with his cousin at the bar and miss your cake cutting ceremony or some other essential photograph. Any newlywed will tell you that some of the best money they spent on their wedding was on a great professional photographer.

Wedding as Fundraiser. I once attended a wedding where the bride decided to have a dollar dance. It is traditional, she declared! Perhaps in some families, but not hers, and the whole thing was a total flop. No one came up to dance with the bride and stuff her apron full of money as she had hoped; she was left alone and embarrassed on the dance floor while all the guests waited for the whole tacky thing to be over. Guests who wish to give you cash gifts will, and those who don’t will not. Trying to extort, cajole, or embarrass guests into giving you cash at your wedding is an idea sure to go wrong!

Author Bio: Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about wedding planning, style, and etiquette. Let the friendly staff at http://silverlandjewelry.com/ help you select the perfect bridesmaid gifts for your wedding. All jewelry orders over $99 receive complimentary shipping.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: wedding ideas, bridesmaid gifts, wedding planning, cash bar, wedding fundraiser, tacky wedding